Apparatus for removing the stem or blow ends from fruit, vegetables, or the like



March 30 1926. 1,578,355 v B. C. O APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE STEM 0RBLOW ENDS FROMFRUIT', VEGETABLES, 0R THE: LIKE l Filed Apr-il 28, 1924 2Sheetsf-Sheet 1 /'s ATTORNEYS.

' B. C. OLNEYv f APPARATUS EORREMOVING THE STEM OR BLOW ENDS FROM FRUIT,VEGETABLES, OR THE LIKE v Fild Apri1`28. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IMarch30, .1926. ,578,355

5 K ze B A x 3i IN V EN TOR. 25 Bari? 6,' 057@ I I l L 2.o X Y alsATTORNEY;

Patented Mar. 30, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT- oFricE. .y

RURT c. oLNEY, E ROCHESTER, NEW YoRigjA-ssIGNoR fro NEw YORK GANNERS,INC., y

0E. ROCHESTER, NEw YORK. v c l APPARATUS 'EoR REMovING 'THE STEM oR BLOWENDS EROM FRUIT, vEGETARL'Es,

oR THE LIKE. v

Application filed April 28, 1924. Serial `No.l 709,336. V

T'oafZZ whom t may concern.' g y Be it known that I, BURT Cv..-OLN'EY, acitizen of the United States, and resident or Rochester, in the lcountyof Monroe .and State of New York, have invented'certain new' and usefulImprovements in an rApparatus forItemoving the `Stem orlBlow EndsfromFruit, Vegetables, orthe like, of which the following isaspecifica-tion.

The present invention relates to an apparatus 'for removing the stem orthe blow ends from fruit, vegetables or'the like, and

an `object of this invention is to make it pos! sible to remove the stemorthe blow ends oi fruits or Hthe like without. any handling of sucharticles." A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatusin whichk the stem or'the blow ends of fruits, vegetables ^o r=tlie'likemay be removed with 'a minimum amount ofiworkon the part of theoperatives. To 'these 'and other ends, the invention consists 'ofcertainparts and combinations ofy parts, all of which will behereinafter described:y the Inovel features being pointed outin theappended claims..v

IntheV drawings: l yFig. 1 is a side view of an apparatus constructed inaccordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a detail 'view of theapparatus shown in `Fig-1,showin-g` the invention inl u'closed'position;

Fig. v3 is an enlarged view similar to Fig.

v2 from the opposite 'sides of the invention; Fig! 4 is adetail viewshowing another t side view of the invention; i .Fig v5 isafsecton lonthev line '5w-'5, Fig. 3; .Fig-6 is av 'section on the line 6-`6,.Fig.3;

' Fig. 7 ters, Referring more particularly to the drawings,1r indicatesacarrier, in tliisinst'ance, v in the form of an endless belt on whichvthe f fruit 'such as tomatoes or apples vare placed is a detailviewK-oifoneiof the cut- Witlithe end thereof to be -re'movedfaced upwardly, soas to be carried to the 'removling means. Preferably the removing meansis supported by a standard vor upright `2 rightv yaxis on the Vstandard1 above a collar' 4. This head hastwo bearing varnis be# which lhas ahead 3 rotatableabout an upi in the forni of a tube which has a weight 8in the form of a sleeve adjustable on'the arm" on one side of thepivot,while atthe 'opposite end a yoke 9 isy mounted toturn lon the arm 6about an axis coincident with the longitudinalqaxis ofi the arm.This.yoke.-9 in turn l'ras'a'yoke v10 pivotally connected thereto by apivot'l11 to swing about a hori- Zont'al axis, and the yoke 10 is inturn journalled to the end of a tube 12 which is rigidly connected to amotorior operating the removing means.

The motor, in this instance, embodies a cylinder 13 having a head 14atits top with which the tube 12 connects, so "as to lead air or otheriiui'd to the cylinder. The tube 12 connects by a. ilexible tube -15with the fluid or air supply, the tubefl' extendingthro-ugh the'supporting arm 6 Vi'ronifthe rear end/of ,the latter to,`connect withany suitabl-efiiuid y supply. Within this cylinder `1B alpiston 16operates,-this pistoiij being held toward* the upper `end of thecylinder`4v by a helical spring 17 opposing the downward movement of thepiston. In the head 14 a `rotary valve 18 is arranged `which controlsthe supply of iiuid to the" cylinder.

rThe removing means, inlthis instance, embodies two cutters or` kniveseach having, in this instan-ce, two cutting edges 19 vconver ingdownwardly toward each other so that they intersect at a point '20.y Theknives eX- tendl romfa 'curved body portion 21 from Y the upperfend ofwhich proceedsa lip 22, through which screws *23` pass throughr screwopenings 24 inthe lip and are secured to the kkni-fesupports.

lThe knife supports, in thisy instance, em-

body two arms 25 and 26 both pivoted zit-27 -to.onesideoii` the cylindercasing 13 fand-en -tending upwardly from their? pivots, then outwardly.and downwardly tov lielbetween two arms 28 l projecteddownvi'fardly'from the underside of the cylinder 13.4 -The arms `areprovi-dedwitlrfoppositely 'extending slots v 29V and in these slots across pinBO operates, thisfcross" pinfbeigng secured to aplunger 81which is Arigidly connected -to the piston 16 andis guidedin the lowerhead32 of the cylinder; The cross pin Aalso is guided in its ends slots33 liiormedinthegarms. 28. Belowthe pivoted supporting arms 25 `and;

26, thel arms, 28. are connected by a tie pin` 34 on which rollers 35arejourna'lle'd, these' rollers co-operating withv the curved'. edges 36on the arms to guide the latter in their movements. The cross pm 30,being moved up and downby the piston 16 in the oppo- `sitely extendn'gslots 29, impartsfto the' two arms and Q6 opposite movement on theircommon pivot 27. The pm by being guided in the slots 33 is preventedfrom beV ing moved laterally during' the movement of the levers. f

For controlling the valve of the motor a thumb piece 37 is provided onthe end of a Vslide 38, theglatter being slotted in the Vdirection ofits'length at 39 and operating von* two `guide pins 40 and 41 projectinglaterally Jfrom a plate or bracket 42 -sej'curedjto the cylinder 13. Aspring 43 se cured at one end' tothe guide pin 4() and at the other endto a pin on the slide tends normally to move the slide in a. directionto close the valve 18 while pressure Yon the thumb piece 37 moves theslide 39 in the direction to open thevalve. Connection between the slideand the valve is provided, in this instance, by a slot 45 inl the slideand a kpin 46 extending into the slot from `an arm 47 which is extendedVlateraly ly from the shaft of a valve 18. It'willbe noted thatthethumblpiece'37 isv arranged above the cylinder 13'and that the cylinder.serves asa grip forthe hand ofthe user,

the thumb. piece fbeing yso 'positioned that while presenting theremoving devices to rthe* fruit, vegetables or the like the thumb piecemay be'operated to elfect the operation of the removing'devices by ahand gripping the cylinder.

lOwing to the manner in which. the removing devices may moveYtowardandfrom the carrier and also in the direction of the length andtransversely ofthe carrier, 1t 1s possible to cause them to bepresentedv direotly.` overv the fruit on the carrier, notwithstandingthe factvthat the Vfruit is being moved by' the Carrier." After thefruitisV engaged, the knives areV forced into the :same on opposite sides ofthe portion to be removed and are then operated 'toward eac-h other tocause' them .to out out' and Vremove "theundesirable portion. Of course,with'th'e Y. releaseor"v the :thumb piece, the removed"` portion-'Willdrop from the cutters 'and-an vapi paratus vwillV then'be inposition to operate Cn i ' upon` another y fruit.V The. form Vof the;-cut vters isi'believed to benovel and it ;is also .believed to benovel vto so ysupport v`remov` Y 'l ingmeansy torthe stem or blow` endsofffruit, Ivegetables or the like, sothat. it maybe VVVreadily movedinto engagement with afruit on a movable carrier for the purpose ofremoving the stems or the blow endsof'the fruit, -svegetable's'or the.like vwithout any handling of the material or the articles.y by thevoperative.v Y In the use of the invention, tomatoes vorV otheri`ruit,-vegetables or thelike kare placer. i upon the belt 1 and theremoving-means is moved toward the fruit on the belt by means oftheuserreleases theiinger piece to permlttheseparation of the'knlves.V IlVhat'I claim as my` invention and de'- lsire` to secure byLettersPat'ent is 2- 1. An apparatus for removing the ystem or the? blowends of fruit, vegetables or the like comprising removingmeans for thestemA or the blow ends, andv meansftor movl ably supportingV saidremoving means., a'hand grip.connected with said removing :means forbringing the Vrei'novingv means into .and out' of cooperation withthearticles, and

means positioned vadjacent the hand. gripl andV controllable by ahandwhileson Ysaid gripv for effecting the operationof thefrey movingmeans. 1 Q ,An apparatus forremovingthe'stem or the blow ends of fruit,vegetables'or vthe like comprising a movablyl mounted .removing meansfor the stem or the blow ends ofthe articles, a'motor for operatingsaidremov-V ing means, a hand grip associated with said removingpmeansfor eecting its movement toward and from the articles,l and .aicontrolling device for the motor arranged aoljacent toy thehandgripso'that a hand on the grip may control the motor.

3. An apparatus for `removing the stem or the blow ends of fruit,vegetables l.or the like comprising removing means for the stem or theblow ends, a hand grip associated with said means, and a counterbalanced'jarm on -'which v said` removing, means and f grip'rg'aresupported.

1 /An .apparatus for; removing", the VstemV llD or theblow ends offruit, vegetables orithe i likecomprising a removing means for the vstemfor the` blow ends, "a hand grip asso-A ciated with said removing means,andfa counter balanced armen `which said :hand

. grip and removing means are pivotally suspended.

5. An apparatus for removing the stem or thev blow ends otfruit,vegetables or the likeV comprising al standard, al supporting' armlpivotally mountedv between its .endsl .of Vthe standard, a counterbalancing-device on one side ofsaid fpivot, a removing means forthe stemor; the blowfV ends pivy otally suspendedk from` the armvon the oppositeside Voi" itsy pivot, and a hand grip associated with saidremovingmeans.

Cil

ing means for supportingsaid motor, the

' plungers and kthe levers.

7. An apparatus for removing the stem or the blow ends of fruit,vegetables or the like comprising two opposed cutters, two pivotallymounted levers by which the cutyters'are supported, a plunger connected.to

said levers for operating them, and a motor for operating the plunger,said motor embodying a cylinder forming a hand grip, a

piston operating in the cylinderand connected to the plunger, a valvecontrolling the movementof the piston, and controlling means for saidvalve embodying a thumb .piece arranged adjacent to the cylinder so thata hand gripping the cylinder may control said thumb piece.

` V8. In an apparatus for removingthe stem orblow ends of fruit,.vegetables or the like,

comprising `a tubular pivotedY supporting arm, a counter balance'on thearm on one side of the pivot, a removing means for the stem or blow endssuspended :from the arm on the opposite sides of the pivot7 a motor forcontrolling the removing means lsuspended with said removing means fromthe arm, and means lfor supplying energy vto the motor extending throughsaid supporting arm.

9. In an'apparatus for removing the stein or the blow ends 'of fruit,vegetables or the like comprising a tubular lpivoted su`py t portingarm, a counter balance .on' the arm on one side of thepivot, a removingmeans :for the stem or blow ends suspended from the armn'onthe-'opposite side of the pivot,

a fluid motor for controlling said'removing means,y and a conductorvpipe leading fluid to the motor and extending through the supportingarm. v

` BURT C. OLNEY."

